David Attenborough’s Witness Statement, MiFID II, and digital solutions bringing investments closer to the end investor, have all led to a rise in demand for ESG related conversations. Our telemarketing lead generation teams, focussing on retail intermediaries, pensions funds and endowments have seen a hugely significant upturn in ESG related interest. What is the evidence and what can you do?
We are at the front line; telemarketing for asset managers, platforms and consultants into retail intermediaries, DB schemes, family offices and endowments.
The conclusion is:
If you have an ESG culture & solution get out to
the market and grab the latent share.
If you want facts and figures you can go to any number of reliable sources some of which are listed at the end of the article.
In the meantime, we are still witnessing a cynical ‘Greenwash’ phase and increasingly investors are demanding to see evidence of managers’ belief in ESG and proof of it translating into portfolios. If your firm has truly built ESG into your culture and you have a solution, then now is the time to get your story and products directly to schemes, scheme advisors and retail advisors.
As the reports below demonstrate the IFA market WAS a barrier to ESG, citing lower returns as a ‘convenient excuse’ to do nothing. Whereas the underlying reasons seem to be ‘it’s complicated’, ‘who can you trust’ and ‘it’ll all settle down soon and we’ll be back to the good old Return V Inflation’. Not so. MiFID II, Covid, Attenborough and the digital proximity to investments have changed the mind-set of the IFA.
Institutional Pension Schemes also have an increasing digital closeness to the investments. The moral judgements of the investor are consequently impacting investment decisions. As we see in a great deal of the media and literature the environmental zeitgeist is here. The solutions are developing, and Trustees and Sponsors are aware that they need to listen to the market.
As John Fleetwood of Square Mile wrote
“It could be the investment opportunity of the century.”
Our take on it is ‘it’s the lead generation opportunity of 2021-22’
At Chartered Developments we are creating significantly more leads into advisors than a year ago. Chairs of Trustees and Heads of Investment Sub Committees, as mentioned above, are also aware that they need to look at solutions offered in this space.
Can you wait and will this last?
It’s unlikely that the market will continue to be so receptive. Our evidence and experience suggest institutions promoting an investment process with a sustainable overlay should take advantage of current conditions and promote an ESG proposition to market.
Why talk to Chartered Developments
Talk to us if you want to understand the ESG expectations of trustees and their advisers, what investment strategies are in demand and how the trends in the management of DB schemes are translating into different investment thinking or accelerate your lead generation into advisors, pension schemes and other institutional funds.
We will work with you to assess how your investment capability stacks up relative to expectations, how to message your story most effectively and guide you through the intermediation process to access the end investor. From a lead generation perspective we will create the database, create the leads (Teams / Zoom meetings), build the pipeline and segment the market for you. Click here and we’ll be in touch.
If you do not know us already, we have been working for financial and professional service firms since 1997. We are a niche specialist from Exeter.
Contact us here info@chartdev.co.uk
Some further reading
Fidelity https://ifamagazine.com/article/top-three-esg-themes-for-2021-fidelity-international/
Aviva www.financialreporter.co.uk/finance-news/aviva-launches-esg-training-programme-for-advisers.html
www.ftadviser.com/investments/2020/10/06/advisers-must-have-an-esg-process-in-place-for-clients/
Money Marketing https://www.moneymarketing.co.uk/news/ifas-urged-to-build-esg-into-advice-process/
